When the Revelation of Jesus Christ was written in the first half of the century, it depicts two scenes or contexts of spiritual warfare. One is on the earth with the admonishing of individual repentance and victory (Rev. 2-3). The other is in heaven where the Lamb is depicted as having already won His victory and is seated on His throne (chs.4-5). Here a new song of victory is sung to the Lamb for His accomplishments.
Christians of the first century are introduced to Rome as God’s instrument of judgment upon physical Israel who had killed the prophets and the Messiah. Faithful souls of the past awaiting the judgment of God upon their persecutors who had executed their wrath and silenced the voice of God by removing all reminders of His justice and righteousness are about to see the answer to their prayers. The four horsemen represent the events of judgment against the city of Jerusalem where Jehovah had vacated the temple. Also, the first four trumpets of the seventh seal represent a broader judgment that includes the Gentiles. This is a common division in Scripture and should not surprise us in its use, here. There are the Israelites and a multitude of people (Revelation 7) that includes the Jews and Gentiles. It corresponds to this division of Jew and Gentile in the vision of the four horsemen (Jews) and the four trumpets (Gentiles).
Since this judgment is coming soon, as the book repeats, the faithful must be sealed and protected from God’s wrath, just as ancient Israel was sealed with blood to protect them from the death of their firstborn in the land of Egypt. Those under the altar were told to wait just a while longer until their brethren on earth finish their course. Remember this is all taking place soon. The judgment upon all the righteous dead will be fulfilled upon that generation. The 144,000 redeemed out of Israel are sealed and the faithful on earth among the Gentiles are not to be hurt. The punishment is not the mere cessation of the breath of life, though it will accompany their trials. The wave of God’s eternal judgment, being poured out upon all, will have an eternal impact upon the world. Even though the faithful may lose their lives (Romans 8:31-39), the Christian is victorious through Christ. The sealing and the protection relate to protection from God’s wrath about to be poured out. It is not a protection of physical life, necessarily. Still, some of them would not die (“sleep”) but be changed (1 Cor. 15:51-52). The dead souls will be raised to an imperisable state at the last trumpet. This is the change between the breath of life on earth and the spiritual existence of immortality. Death was swallowed up in victory.
Similarly, we find the siege of Jerusalem, its destruction, and eternal judgment beginning in chapter nine that ends with the two witnesses who are raised and allowed to be seen by others in the city. Then, the final woe of the seventh trumpet depicts the final judgment and victory. This is where we left off in our last blog. Chapter twelve is the second series of visions that repeat the first with greater clarity and detail.